Opinion

• Opinion

  Something Afoot in the Arab Press

  Media outlets in the Arab world are a unique phenomenon — hatred and defamation are a staple, the antisemitic propaganda recalls that of Goebbels, and what masquerades as fact is in fact a figment of psychopathic imagination. Take, for instance, an article published last week by the Egyptian opposition newspaper Al-Wafd, which blamed the “Zionist…

  By Amnon Rubinstein

  3 min read
• Opinion

  Pickpocket

  Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan was right on the money in his recent calls for action to reduce the federal deficit. The yawning gap in the budget drives up interest rates as government borrowing sucks up available capital, and that threatens future economic growth. He might have added that it makes our allies very nervous…

  Mar 12, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Clues and Illusions

  Now that “The Passion of the Christ” has passed the $200 million mark and moved into blockbuster territory, it’s fair to step back and marvel at Mel Gibson’s mastery of the Hollywood art of spinning illusions. There is, of course, his making of a monster hit out of a movie filmed entirely in dead languages….

  Mar 12, 2004 | 2 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson American Jews were played — now what?

  

• Rob Eshman I have the answer to Jon Stewart’s toughest question about Israel

  

• Nora Berman ‘Eddington’ is full of conspiracy theories but it’s not about Jews. Or is it?

  

• Dan Perry Recognizing a Palestinian state is a great way to doom Palestinians

  

• Emily Tamkin Is starvation in Gaza really Israel’s fault? The facts are clear

  

The Latest

• Letters

  March 12, 2004

  Anti-Catholicism Is Not Film Criticism Why would the Forward print an article that mocks the crucifix? It is not enough for Daniel Jonah Goldhagen to simply disagree with “The Passion of the Christ,” he must attack Catholicism in doing so (“Mel Gibson’s Cross of Vengeance,” March 5). Those Jews wondering whether the movie will engender…

  Mar 12, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Shaking Up the Arab World

  It is not difficult to understand why last year’s invasion of Iraq has had the impact of an earthquake on the Middle East, with tremors and aftershocks spreading from the epicenter in Baghdad throughout the entire Arab world. In the first place, Baghdad has a unique and special significance in Arab history and culture totally…

  By Osama Al-Ghazali Harb Mar 12, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Israel’s Missed Opportunities

  The countdown to the Iraq war was marked by grand pronouncements on the part of both its boosters and its detractors regarding its potential impact on Israel. Some backers of the war suggested that removing Saddam Hussein from power would have a transformative impact on the Middle East — helping pave the way for regime…

  By Yossi Alpher Mar 12, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Beginning Anew After Decades Of Tyranny

  As American casualties in Iraq mount and suicide bombings grow ever more horrific, many Americans are asking whether the war to remove Saddam Hussein from power was worth its costs. We should remember to factor into our calculations, however, the fact that for Iraqis the war brought an end to decades of tyranny. We also…

  By Ahmed H. Al-Rahim Mar 12, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Acknowledge Differences To Heal Trans-Atlantic Rift

  The Iraq war marked a low point for the trans-Atlantic alliance. One year later, the rift between America and Europe remains wide. Some observers have ascribed the tensions that erupted during the Iraq crisis to the aggressive foreign policy of the Bush administration or the difficult behavior of European leaders. But in reality the roots…

  By Guillaume Parmentier Mar 12, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  The Blinding Mirror

  Whatever else may be said about it, the bitterly divisive debate over “The Passion of the Christ” proves that Mel Gibson’s movie is — well, divisive. This is not a small point. Gibson and his admirers insist the film’s message is one of love and redemption, meant not to divide but to unite. In countless…

  Mar 5, 2004 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Which Comes First?

  The latest twist in the never-ending tragicomedy of Middle East diplomacy is a debate between America and Europe over whose recipe for peacemaking is more wildly unrealistic. The cynics among us will call it a draw. The debate revolves around President Bush’s new Greater Middle East Initiative, which aims to promote democratic reforms in the…

  Mar 5, 2004 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Mel Gibson’s Cross of Vengeance

  I have often thought but kept to myself what a gruesome thing they are, traditional crucifixes, each one with the likeness of a mangled, agonized body affixed cruelly to it. I sometimes wondered, even as a child, what kind of a religion would want children to look at an image of a suffering, dying or…

  By Daniel Jonah Goldhagen Mar 5, 2004 | 5 min read